Introduction:
Shining Force 3 Scenario 2 is the 2nd in a series of 3 RPGs planned for the
Sega-Saturn. In this game, you basically have to lead your band of
warriors/palladins/magicians/etc... through tons of battles. Unlike other
RPGs, what makes the Shining Force 3 series unique is that what you do in
previous scenarios may affect the series of events in the later scenarios.
(Actually, I haven't played scenario 1 myself so I don't know exactly WHAT
kind of changes may happen...)

Graphics:
The graphics in the game are pretty good (amazing when compared to recent
'graphical' disasters such as the House of the Dead and GT24). It's entirely
3D except for the characters. However, during the battle sequences, when one
character attacks another the screen shifts to a cut-scene where fully
polygonal (and beautifully shaded / light-sourced) characters take it out on
one another. These sequences look really impressive especially when spells
are summoned; you'll see some impressive lighting effects WITH
transparencies. Comparisons with Grandia's 3D graphics engine are
inevitable; here's a summary:

The frame-rate in Shining Force 3 is a lot smoother

The textures on the other hand are not as detailed and varied

Unlike Grandia, you are able to set the camera angle, kinda like
Daytona!!!(very useful!!!!)

The 3D models for buildings and scenery aren't as complex as those in
Grandia but still look pretty good.

Unlike the battle sequences in Grandia, the ones in Shining Force 3 are
also in 3D.

Overall, Grandia STILL looks more impressive!

The characters in the game are very well designed. All of your party members
look fantastic (especially their 3d models during the cut-scenes). Even the
enemies are well designed; no blobs of slime or glowing spheres for enemies!

Music:
The music in the game ranges from average to good. All the tunes are in FM
(again, unlike Grandia which used PCM sound samples which sounded really
impressive!). They aren't very memorable but they do their job well, getting
you pumped up for a battle.

Sound:
Here's where Shining Force 3 is like just about every other RPG around.
Obviously, a lot of memory went into the graphics engine so the developers
probably didn't have enough space left for really good sound samples.
Granted, many RPGs have little or no sound effects at all but after playing
Grandia and Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG, you can't help but feel disappointed
when walking right next to a huge, SILENT waterfall (I guess I'm just a bit
too fussy) or talking to a bunch of people for 5 minutes without a single
voice sample. On a more positive note, the sound effects during the battle
sequences are pretty good with some excellent wind / fire / lightning sounds
plus other sounds which 'hurt' when you get hit.

Gameplay:
A lot of people are bound to confuse Shining Force 3 as an adventure RPG ala
Grandia but it's more of a battle RPG like Dragon Force. In fact, there's no
exploration whatsoever! No dungeons, no secret areas to uncover, NOTHING.
There's is some story involved however, but I don't think it adds much to
the game (There's way too much Japanese text to read through at times and in
ultra-difficult KANJI too!!!). In other words, like most people, I just skip
all the text (unlike Grandia and Sakura Wars where you HAD to read the text
to gain maximum enjoyment).

The battle sequences here are turn-based where how soon each character's
'turn' comes depends on his/her 'speed'. There's tons of strategy involved
here as a lot of factors come into play such as the mobility of your
characters due to the terrain (ie: forests/sand/water slows you down) as
well as the range of each character's attack. There are also some instances
where you have to decide whether to split up and cover more ground (thus
risking the lives of your party members) or moving around in one big gang;
this doesn't sound very difficult until you need to get to another part of
the 'map' in a hurry (as in rescuing people or preventing enemies from
escaping). Now, you'll even have to choose the best possible route (the one
which doesn't leave you wide open for an attack). It's all sounds very
complicated and it IS. You'll find yourself dying over and over again at
times since the enemy AI is pretty good; they usually attack your main
character or your weaker characters. Each battle may last between 15 minutes
to an hour depending on your style of play (slow and safe or fast and
dangerous). You can summarise the gameplay here as 'brains and patience
required' Overall, this is one of the better battle sequences I've ever come
across in an RPG and I like it a lot!

Notes for non-Japanese reading gamers:

Like most RPGs you have your MP points and HP points as well as level-ups
but once character reaches a level 10, you can go to the 'church' in any
town and get the priest to 'upgrade' your character.

To save a game, you can either go to the town church and talk to the priest
or during a battle, you can press the 'B' button, move the cursor to an open
spot and press either A or C to summon a menu.

All these options are pretty easy to figure out since they have icons to
match each option.

If you get killed during a battle, DO NOT restart the game with the
'ABC+start' button combination or the reset button on the Saturn as whatever
experience gained in the losing battle is carried on to the next so your
characters will get stronger even if you lose a battle!

Bells 'n' Whistles:
There are loads of options available, the loading times are exceptionally
quick, most menus / options have icons so getting around option screens is
pretty easy, you have as many save game spots as your back-up memory
permits... basically, this game aces in this department. The only complaint
I have is that during the battle sequences, your enemies sometimes drop
objects when you defeat them and you HAVE to pick the object up whether you
like it or not. Worse still, you have only 4 places per character for
storing items so if you're carrying 4 very important items, you HAVE to get
rid of one of them to pick up the object!!! This is a rather annoying flaw
but doesn't really detract from the game.

Conclusion:
A solid (and rock hard) battle RPG which will keep you glued to your joypad.
And it looks good too! Knowledge of Japanese isn't really required as it
doesn't detract from the gameplay. Strongly recommended for all RPG fans.

Graphics:

9 / 10 - battles are really good to look at.

Sound:

7 / 10 - good but there should have been more speech.

Music:

7 / 10 - nothing spectacular but it does it's job very well.

Gameplay:

10 / 10 - One of the few strategy/RPGs which ACTUALLY needs strategy; a LOT of it.

Bells 'n' Whistles:

8 / 10 - Other than the item management flaw during battles, everything else is perfect.